Can You Save Me?
by Terra-Wendy
Summary: OOC: Joshua Matthews has lived his whole life in a small town knowing he'd probably never leave. Then he meets the beautiful and shy Maya Hart. When these two fall in love, her father will stop at nothing to separate the young couple. [Josh/Maya] [Lucas/Riley]


_**AN: Hey guys so this is my second story about GMW. In this story Josh is Riley's cousin. His father is Cory's older brother who is not Eric. His father married Shawn's sister and Josh is their only son. Josh is nineteen and Lucas and Farkle are his best friends rather than being that close to Riley and Maya. Riley and Maya are eighteen and have just graduated from high school which is when this story takes place - the summer after graduation. This is really a coming of age story tied in with family drama and secrets. There are a few OC's when it comes to Maya's family so the story has a little more depth you can find their pictures on my profile along with pictures of outfits. Maya & Josh don't look like they do in the TV show so their pictures are on my profile as well.**_

_**So I guess that's it, happy reading :)**_

_**P.S. This story was loosely based (more like inspired by) on the 2014 film Endless Love so please don't sue I already have other bills to pay.**_

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><p><em><strong>(Summary)<strong>_

AU OOC: Joshua Matthews has lived his whole life in a small town knowing he'd probably never leave. Then he meets the beautiful and shy Maya Hart. When these two fall in love, her father will stop at nothing to separate the young couple. [Josh/Maya] [Lucas/Riley]

_**(Preface)**_

_Joshua Matthews wiped off the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. The car before him was giving him a hard time and it was getting late. Despite this, he was determined to finish it. This was one of the most expensive cars he had seen in a long time and he knew this would mean big money for his father._

_When he finally finished the car, an hour later, he was finished and he called the number that was left with the car telling the owner that it was ready. Little did he know that this would be the beginning of the best love he had ever experienced._

_**(Chapter One)**_

Josh sighed as he sat down at the bench outside of his dad's garage. His head was pounding as he sat in the sweltering heat. He really didn't know when this mystery customer was going to get here but he hoped it would. His mother would be coming back from rehab and he knew his dad wouldn't be able to handle it on his own.

His mother Sonya Hunter had been admitted into rehab six years ago when he was twelve. Now here he was still that scared little boy even if he was eighteen. Despite his mother being somewhat unstable he knew he still loved her. He was excited for her return and this customer was keeping him from seeing her. It took his father Scott Matthews years to forgive his mother but unlike his dad Josh was all too ready to let her back in their lives.

It was finally thirty minutes later around five o'clock when he saw a very expensive smooth black town car approach up to the dirt driveway of the garage.

His eyebrows perked up when a chauffeur exited out of the driver's seat to open one of the doors for his passenger. He had guessed that the owner of the Mercedes Benz inside had some money but he didn't know the money was enough for a white glove wearing chauffeur and a high quality town car.

He did a double take when a pair of smooth ivory legs stepped out of the car. The legs belonged to a petite girl wearing a salmon colored sundress and a white cardigan completely buttoned. The girl had blonde hair that was in a tight braid that rested on her right shoulder.

In his whole life Josh Matthews had never understood what it meant for someone's heart to stop. Until today. Until he saw this girl with jade green eyes walking out of her car. Then his heart completely sped up rushing at a pace he had never felt before when her eyes locked on his brown ones.

When she began to take a step towards him after the chauffeur had gotten back in the car and driven off he quickly straightened himself up before standing up awkwardly and way too fast. He nervously scratched his stubble filled jaw when the girl finally came up to him. He didn't recognize her and he chalked it up to her being new in town.

_She had to be,_ he reasoned. He would have recognized a girl who looked like her.

She gave him a shy smile, "Good afternoon." She greeted awkwardly.

Josh loved her voice. It was like a morning drizzle on his windowsill. Light enough to lull him to sleep but there was something about it that made him want to get up and watch it.

He nodded before he realized he had not replied. Josh stumbled out a quick, "Hello." As she girl blinked softly.

"You here for your car?" He asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

The girl nodded still keeping her eyes him but never speaking again.

He coughed softly. "It's right this way." He informed as he led her inside the shop.

She followed him taking the time to look around the garage knowing it would be embarrassing he caught her observing this place.

He stopped when they got the cherry red Mercedes Benz. He picked off the tag that was under the windshield wipers handing it to her knowing she was meant to sign it.

The girl looked through her purse taking the paper into her dainty hands. She looked up at him after she finished going through her bag. "I um, don't have a pen." She said her voice still so soft as if she was terrified of speaking any louder than a mouse.

"It's cool." He said as he gave her the pen that was on his ear. As he handed it to her the pen allowed the tips of their fingers to touch and in that minute he felt a slight electric tugging at his own heart.

The girl quickly signed the slip after saying thank you. She pulled out her keys from the bag once again thanking him as he opened up the garage so she could drive out.

The minute she started up the car he felt everything in him screaming to talk to her to engage this mystery girl in a conversation. As she was about to drive off he obeyed his instincts and rushed to her car standing at her window.

He tapped on it and she slowly rolled it down looking up at him confused. "Did you need anything else?" she asked her voice still so timid.

He gave her kind smile hoping that would warm her up to him. "Just your name." he said softly trying to sound smooth and charming.

He thought he was striking out with this girl but when she smiled softly he felt a slight chance that there was still hope to get to know just who this girl was behind her obvious beauty and shyness.

"My name is Maya Hart." She said softly.

At the sound of her last name his heart began to pound. She was a Hart? This wasn't possible. The Hart family almost never came into town. They always stayed up on their hill away from the rest of the locals.

The Hart's were the richest family in Destin, West Virginia and the most elusive. They lived in_ Graystone_ a gated community for the rich on a very large hill separated even from their wealthy neighbors. In that house lived the famed neurologist Andrew Hart his stay at home wife Julia and their two children. The Hart's were so reclusive that their kids didn't even go to the local private school where almost all of the Graystone's went. They both went to some school in New York and only came back home for the summer.

Now here was one of their children sitting here in her car that was probably worth more than his house.

She coughed uneasily and he was brought back down to earth. He looked at her seeing that she bright red her hands gripping the steering wheel.

Maya sighed still blushing and holding onto the wheel for dear life. "Don't let the name get to you." She urged softly.

He nodded tentatively trying to push passed it. All he could think of was why would her family entrust a grimy garage like this when they could have the best that their money could buy.

"I don't care." He lied pretty sure he was very unconvincing.

She smirked for the first time showing an emotion that wasn't shyness or embarrassment. "Do you really?" Maya asked.

"It's kind of a big pill to swallow, I guess." Josh relented.

Maya grinned at his admittance and he was so relieved that she was actually opening up to him. "I get it." She revealed much to his surprise.

"Seriously?" He asked it being his turn to be in disbelief.

"Yeah." She spoke letting go of the wheel. "My family isn't exactly the most interactive with the rest of the town."

Josh took a brave step when he asked the burning question that was on the tip of the tongue of every local. "Why is that?"

Maya pursed her lips as she slowly became contemplative. Josh noted how adorable she looked with her eyes furrowed slightly and her soft lips forming a pout.

Finally she just gave him a shrug. "I don't really know." She answered before continuing. "You would have to ask my father."

He chuckled softly, scratching the back of his neck out of habit. "I may never get the chance, Maya."

Her eyes glittered with something he didn't recognize as she looked at him in a way she hadn't before. "You will, actually." Was her incredibly vague retort.

Josh cocked his head to the right, "What do you mean?"

Maya gave him a soft knowing smile before continuing. "My step mother is having her first annual fundraiser for the Destin Hospital. She's having the entire town come. I even think she's got half of the next town coming too."

He furrowed his brows, "Really? Why?" he asked trying to figure out just why were they trying to integrate themselves into this town after living here for nearly thirty years and rarely being seen in town.

"Because my dad is taking over in the Destin Hospital and my step mom thought it was time to really introduce us into Destin society, I guess." Maya said with an uncaring shrug.

He moved "Wow, that's uh –"

"Superficial?" she filled in with a lazy drawl.

Josh smirked. "I was going to say cool and ask when it was."

Maya once again blushed. She recovered by telling him it was this Saturday at eight.

Josh was about to ask her something when her bag began to vibrate. She sighed as she opened it and took at her phone. He reasoned it was a text or something along those lines when she began to read.

She looked up at him now placing her phone down on the passenger seat. Her now looked so disappointed as she said, "I've got to get home now."

He nodded as she started up her car again. Before she could leave however he stopped her once again trying to find a way for them to communicate before the party.

"What is it now?" she asked playfully.

He chuckled. "I was um thinking, maybe I could get your number in case I needed directions." He rambled hurriedly.

Maya smiled as she brought out her phone and the two exchanged numbers. Josh knew she didn't buy the reason he had made up for getting it but as long as he had a way to talk to her, he was more than happy.

Once they had finished Maya drove off with a smile on her face while he too smiling went to lock up and go home to see his mother.

_**{GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW}**_

Maya sighed as she entered her house dropping her keys in the tray by the garage door that led inside. She knew nobody was home and she would be by herself so it would be a boring night. Maya also knew the only reason her step mother had called her home was because her father didn't like her being out of the house.

It had been this way her whole life. Her father made sure she and her brother A.J. never left the house they always stayed inside or went with their dad. A.J. being the rebellious one always snuck out to be with his girlfriend while she being the good girl stayed inside and talked to her best friend Riley Matthews.

She had met Riley when they were in kindergarten and her father was okay with her going to the local public school. It wasn't until her mother passed away when she was nine that her dad kept them closer than close. He pulled them out of school, built a gate around the house and stopped working at the Destin Hospital. Now she goes to this snooty private school in the heart of New York City and Maya only came home during the summer while her dad came to her for the rest of the holidays.

Her brother on the other hand made it his mission in life to get kicked out of every single school he went to. A.J. had been to ten different schools in two years getting expelled for a different reason for every school. Now he was finishing off his junior year in some weird school in Louisiana where he met Paige his very pretty and very sweet girlfriend who had come to spend the summer with him.

Unlike her brother, Maya wasn't very lucky on the dating side of things. Sure, she had made some great friends in New York and yes she had been on a few dates but she was just never able to commit to any of them. Now here was this boy named Josh who just made her light up with excitement.

She had felt their connection the minute she stepped out of the car and their eyes locked on each other. He was tall maybe six feet with wavy light brown hair. He had a right amount of stubble growing into what could be an amazing beard but despite this, she was sure he was around her age. Even if he wasn't Maya had just turned eighteen and was getting ready to go to Princeton in the fall.

Maya shook these thoughts out of her head. He probably didn't even see her the way she saw him. Maybe he just wanted sex seeing as how he was so eager to get her number. That's what all the boys want, right?

_**{GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW}**_

Josh sighed as he entered his house his heart filling with excitement. He heard the all too familiar sound of his mother's voice echoing from the kitchen and he sprinted to where it was coming from.

He stopped abruptly seeing her standing in the kitchen and it was like she had never left him. There she stood wrapped in his father's arms them talking to each other. Then she saw her son and she quickly let go of his dad and sped over to where Josh stood unable to walk.

Sonya leaned up on her tippy toes trying to get a better look at her obviously taller son. She quickly wrapped him into a hug as he gasped breathing for the first time since he saw her.

"You look so grown up." She said with a sigh filled with a flurry of emotions.

Josh just chuckled while his father scoffed. They both knew he had retained his child like attitude even if his body was growing into an adult.

Sonya ran her hands over his stubbly chin. "You're only nineteen, Josh." She chided playfully. "This shouldn't be here so soon."

Her son simply shrugged as he easily looked over her head to see that his parents had been cooking dinner.

"What're you making?" Josh asked inhaling, as he already knew what it was.

"Spaghetti with your mom's special sauce." Revealed Scott.

Josh nodded while Sonya walked back into the kitchen quickly giving her husband a quick peck on the cheek. Josh too entered the kitchen and when he saw the large quantities of food, he was quick to ask why there was so much

"Your uncles Shawn and Cory are coming over for dinner. They're bringing their families." Sonya said as she stirred the second pot of sauce while his dad stirred the third pot of pasta. "Oh and your cousin's bringing over a friend."

Sonya took her wooden spoon from her frying pan filled with her famous sauce and placed it up to her husband's lips. Scott took it willingly and when he finished tasting it, he advised that it needed some more thyme.

Josh watched in awe of his parents. He really didn't know what to expect of his mother's homecoming but here she was standing there ready to pick back up the life she had to leave in order to get healthy.

_**{GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW}**_

It was about ten minutes after Josh had finished setting up the table when the doorbell rang. His mother quickly opened it as the very large group pooled inside the house. In came his uncle Cory and his wife Topanga along with their daughter Riley son Auggie and one of her friends. Then came his uncle Shawn his wife Angela and their two kids.

He moved to go and see Riley knowing they hadn't talked in a while but he stopped dead in his tracks when he found none other than Maya Hart standing in his doorway talking to Riley.

Maya who was laughing at something his cousin had stayed turned her head slightly to the right only to see Josh standing there looking at the two friends his mouth slightly agape. Josh realizing he couldn't just stare at them decided to walk over waning to know just how she knew Riley.

Maya looked up at him just as surprised. "Um, hello." She greeted him her voice holding nothing but confusion.

"Hey." Josh replied nervously.

Riley stared at the two her eyebrows raised. She had known immediately that her cousin was the cute mechanic her best friend had been texting her nonstop about for almost an hour. Knowing this she had no choice but to invite Maya to their family dinner using her being alone for the night as an excuse to spend it with her family.

"I'm going to go see Aunt Sonya." Riley said with a knowing tone in her voice as she walked off leaving the two of them to talk.

As soon as Riley was gone and they were left alone in the doorway the two simultaneously blurted out, "What are doing here?"

The two of them laughed softly. "I live here." Josh said quickly. "What about you?"

"Riley's my best friend. She basically forced me to come here so I wouldn't spend my first night back in town alone." Maya said softly.

After a second Maya's green eyes grew wide as everything clicked. "She knew." She whispered to herself.

"Knew what?" Josh asked growing all the more confused.

"Who you were." Maya whispered still to herself. But when she realized what she had said it was too late.

Josh smirked in a new found confidence. "So you were talking about me?" he asked completely shocked but taking immediate pride that Maya found him worthy to talk about to her best friend.

Maya blushed, her cheeks turning bright red as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in embarrassment. "Maybe." She said with a nervous shrug.

Josh let out a breath, "I told my friend about you too." He whispered.

Maya looked up him surprised. "Really?"

To that he could only reply with a simple nod.

And it was true, he had spent a while telling his best friend Farkle Minkus about the blonde beauty that had walked into his dad's garage. The only thing he left out was her last name because Farkle being the logical one would have cautioned him against getting involved with the most guarded girl in all of West Virginia.

Their conversation was stopped when Josh's mother came to call the two teens to dinner.

_**{GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW}**_

Josh and Maya walked down the dimly lit streets of Destin the sun slowly setting. Dinner had finished and the adults were conversing while Riley had stayed behind because she had suddenly gotten a headache, which left the two of them alone and bored. So here they were talking a walk down the streets until it was time for her to go home.

"You know," Maya began softly. "You're really lucky to have your mom back." Her voice held something else, something much more heavy than idle congratulations.

Josh turned to her, "What do you mean?" he asked wanting to get behind the change in their conversation.

Maya sighed. "My mother died in a car accident when I was nine." She took a deep breath. "I would give everything up just to get what you got today."

"I would too if I were you." He said softly. "I got my family back today and I know what it's like not to have it and to want it with everything you have."

Josh looked down at her to see that tears were falling down her cheeks. He slowly reached out letting go of one of her hands on even realizing that he was holding them to brush them away with his hand. Maya leaned into his touch noting just how it made her feel.

Her phone buzzed disrupting their moment and she informed him that they should start heading back to his house.

_**{GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW}**_

When Maya slipped her purse over her shoulders knowing that the car her father had sent for her was outside.

Josh was walking her out when she turned abruptly not wanting to enter the back of the car. "I want to see you again." He blurted out completely out of the blue.

"You will." Maya said. "At my party."

Josh scratched the back of his neck as he searched for the right words to use to explain himself. "I mean that I want to see you alone like together, you know?" Josh knew he was rambling but he honestly didn't know how else to ask her out.

Maya chuckled, "You mean like a date?"

She looked up at him her eyes wide. Maya struggled for the right words to say when Josh took this as a sign that she didn't want to go out with him and he picked up all the wrong signals from her.

"So no to the date –"

Maya cut him off, "I would _love_ to go on a date with you." She said happily.

Josh grinned his heart filling up with excitement along with fifty thousand other emotions. "That's great." He said breathlessly. "How about this Wednesday at seven?"

Maya wrinkled her nose, "I can't do it at seven, maybe noon or something?" she said quickly trying to figure this out knowing she had to get home despite not wanting to leave just yet.

Josh's eyes sparkled as he realized what they could do at noon. "That's perfect. I'll set it up, is that okay with you?"

"Like a surprise?" She asked skeptically.

Josh nodded, "It'll be fun, I promise."

Maya opened and closed her mouth before she finally agreed to his terms and with that, she left in the car with a smile tugging at her lips.

_**{GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW}**_

It was eleven thirty as Maya flung yet another dress onto her large bed in her very large room from her very large closet. Her best friend Riley was giggling as she watched her obsessing over her first date which so happened to be with her cousin.

Maya stormed out of her walk in closet into her bedroom wearing her plush white bathrobe with her hair still in the rollers. She had a light blue cotton dress with a floral pattern along with a belt and matching brown wedges.

"Is this okay?" she asked completely breathless.

Riley sighed as she tucked a stand of curly brown hair behind her ear. "I don't see why you're stressing." She breathed completely nonchalant while Maya on the other hand was about to give herself an ulcer.

"How can you not see why I'm stressing?" Maya cried as she went to look at her floor length vanity imagining what this outfit would look like when she wore it. "Josh is the first local I've ever been on a date with; he's so hot and obviously down to earth. Plus he's like a year older than me and did I mention that he's hot?"

Riley threw her head back in laughter. "Just cool it, Maya. Josh won't like you being so uneasy."

Maya nodded in agreement. "You're right, Riles but I can't help but be nervous."

Riley wrinkled her nose as she brought up one topic she knew Maya was probably dreading right now. "Have you told your dad you're going on a date with a local?"

When Maya immediately blanched, Riley knew she didn't.

"Maya!" she cried out her tone holding caution. "Your dad is going to flip."

Maya turned away from her mirror. "I know." She hissed. Maya turned back as she continued to model the dress. "That's why I won't tell him until the fifth date." Under her breath she continued, "If there is a fifth date."

The two girls were interrupted when Blythe one of the two maids her father had hired entered Maya's bedroom.

"Miss Hart?" Blythe called out her voice echoing in the large bedroom.

Maya turned to face her maid. "Hey Blythe." She said feigning cheer as she struggled to conceal her nerves.

Blythe's warm and kind brown eyes looked to the girl she had looked after for about ten years as she said, "There is a young man at the front asking for you."

Maya's eyes grew wide as she anxiously hissed, "He's early!"

The two teen girls' eyes darted to the clock as they saw that it was exactly twelve in the afternoon and Josh was right on time.

Maya turned back to Blythe. "Please ask him to wait down the street and I'll meet him at the Graystone Park."

She knew if he waited in the park meant only for Graystones she could seeing her father if he came home from work early. What was better was that he would avoid meeting her father if he came back from work. It wasn't that she was ashamed of Josh – far from it. Her father Andrew Hart had a deep seeded hatred for the Destin locals ever since her mother died when a drunk Destin local crashed into her town car. Now he was so wary of any and all of the Destin locals and she knew that if she introduced him to Josh so early in this game that it would be impossible for her to convince her father that Josh wasn't trash.

Blythe left to do as Maya instructed and Maya in a hurried attempt to look presentable flung off her robe and struggled to slip into the dress while Riley helped by taking out the curlers and bringing Maya's make up to her.

_**{GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW}**_

Josh sighed as he sat down on the Graystone bench ignoring all the stares from the Graystone inhabitants as they scrutinized his frayed and torn jeans, flannel shirt and simple gray shirt. He had been waiting in this park, which was about five minutes from Maya's very large house for thirty minutes, and he was toying with the theory that she had stood him up.

He didn't know why Maya had her maid of all people beg him to wait in this park for her but just the intrigue of why she did it and the pull to get to know her was strong enough to keep him waiting.

Josh was however getting all the more ticked off by all the stares and snickers from the people passing by that he thought he might break his fingers because he was gripping the bench seat so tight. He knew that calling those people out would not be the best first date impression on her and he really did want to make a good one. Of all the girls he had been interested in Josh knew that she was special. He didn't know why she was so special and he was intent on finding out and he was ready for the secrets of Maya Hart he just didn't know if she was ready for his.

_**{GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW} {GMW}**_

Maya ran into the gated park of her already gated community from her gated house. She found Josh sitting on one the park benches surrounding the thousand dollar fountain and from the look on his face and a look at her watch, she knew that she was way beyond late.

Just as soon she as she was about to leave her house her father had walked in and she had spent the last half hour with him discussing what she was going to wear for the party.

As she approached him, her heart was hammering so hard she thought it would fly out of her chest and land directly in his his hands.

She nervously tucked a stand of her freshly curled hair behind her ear and gave him an awkward wave, "I am so sorry that I'm late." She declared apologetically as she chose to ignore the way her voice cracked.

Josh looked up from his lap and to the blonde beauty before him and his scowl immediately morphed into a grin the size of Texas.

"No worries, Maya." he replied just happy that she made it, as he launched himself up from the bench and pulled her into a hug.

Maya stunned by just how friendly he was being took a second before she returned his hug and wrapped her slender porcelain arms around his torso.

"You look perfect." He whispered in the crook of her neck.

Maya's heart filled with triumph. "That's what I was going for." Was her accomplished retort.

Josh let out a chuckle as he separated from her while holding out his hand. "You ready for the date?" he asked.

Maya beamed as she laced her hand in his. "Let's do this."

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><p><em><strong>AN: So guys what did you think? I am actually really excited for where I want to take this story but I won't spoil it and I most certainly do not want to jinx it. Please review, favorite &amp; follow<strong>_

_**God Bless you all**_

_**~Wendy **_


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